2010:609 - Dry Bridge, Clonmel, Tipperary

Moore Marine was commissioned to carry out testing in advance of the demolition of the Dry Bridge on the River Suir at Dry Bridge, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The work was undertaken on 7 January 2010 on behalf of Mott McDonald Ireland Ltd, consulting engineers. Testing was requested by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in order to locate, define and ascertain the character, condition and extent of any archaeological features, deposits or objects, which may be affected by the demolition and subsequent rebuilding of Dry Bridge.
Desktop analysis of the historical, archaeological and cartographic sources relating to the proposed development recorded that there has been a bridge on the site since 1832.
Initially, it had been envisaged that a series of four test-trenches would be excavated throughout the site. Unfortunately, this was not possible as ongoing construction works in the outlying area of the site reduced the available working area in the interior. In addition, recent flooding events and the inundation of the site meant that a drainage channel had been created through the centre of the proposed trench location areas. In light of these constraints, a revised strategy comprising six test-trenches excavated through the site was put in place. The trenches revealed disturbed horizons containing an assortment of modern materials and debris. These layers generally overlay a silty boulder clay which appeared to cover the entire testing area.
Historic maps indicated that the area to the east of the bridge was covered by the waters of the River Suir until the late 19th century, when an embankment was built. This evolution of the site from river to dry land was reflected in the stratigraphy of the area. On the western side a similar evolution was recorded where no deposits of silty gravel were recorded, thus indicating that this side of the bridge had not been subjected to the same riverine impacts as the opposing eastern side.
None of the test-trenches contained archaeo­logical material. The programme of testing was limited in its ability to thoroughly investigate the site as the impact area directly under the existing bridge structure was considered to be too unstable to permit works to proceed.
Considering the high archaeological potential of the area and the inability of the programme of testing to directly investigate the impact area, it was recommended that all groundworks associated with the removal of the existing structure and the construction of the new bridge be monitored.